Assessment 2 Instructions: Data Discovery
Create an Excel spreadsheet that defines data elements and formats that support enterprise information
management and data integration. Write a data discovery report (4-5 pages) that identifies data quality issues and
recommends strategies for addressing and preventing them.
Health care organizations are constantly challenged to assess data quality procedures. Data entered into information
systems often contains redundant data elements, disparate data, and inconsistent definitions. Health care
technology, such as an EHR system, helps to improve data quality; however, it cannot completely eliminate data
quality challenges.
Data can be organized to identify trends, transforming raw data into useful information. Data discovery is a
detection process that involves searching for trends, patterns, or specific items in a particular data set. It can also
include identifying potential data quality issues and leveraging data mining techniques. Data discovery’s goal is to
analyze data from different perspectives, summarize it, and use it to meet organizational needs.
In this assessment, you will investigate potential data quality issues that pose a risk to Independence Medical Center
and then propose recommendations to address these issues.
Preparation
Do the following to prepare to successfully complete Assessment 2 on data discovery:
Review the work you did in Assessment 1, as it will inform the work you do in this second assessment.
Conduct independent research on clean data characteristics. Consult the Health Care Administration
Do the following to prepare to successfully complete Assessment 2 on data discovery:
Review the work you did in Assessment 1, as it will inform the work you do in this second assessment.
Conduct independent research on clean data characteristics. Consult the Health Care Administration
Undergraduate Library Research Guide for research tips and help in identifying current, scholarly, and/or
authoritative sources. You will be using the information from the research you conduct to complete the
assessment.
Analyze Independence Medical Center’s Core Data Sets [XLSX]. Be sure to analyze all the tabs in the
spreadsheet.
Instructions
For this second assessment, continue on in your role as Independence Medical Center’s privacy and security
manager. Your boss, the CIO, is impressed with the work you did in recommending a DMGP framework for
Independence Medical Center. (This is the work you completed in Assessment 1.) As is often the case in health care
administration, good work is rewarded with more work. Various departments at Independence Medical Center have
brought potential data quality issues to the CIO’s attention.
As a result, you have a new task. Your boss wants you to conduct an investigation into potential data quality issues
that could pose risks to the organization. You will evaluate Independence Medical Center’s core data sets from
multiple data sources. After identifying the potential data quality issues, your boss has asked you to prepare a data discovery report in which you propose recommendations to help resolve the data quality issues you identified. As
PART 1: SPREADSHEET
Based on your analysis of Independence Medical Center’s data sources, systems, and noted
recommendations, create a spreadsheet to define data elements and formats.
You have been provided data sets from Independence Medical Center.
Review the data located within the data sets.
Identify errors in the data.
Be sure to create your spreadsheet according to recommended data collection practices and formats
that support enterprise information management and data integration.
Create a data dictionary to prevent these types of data errors in the future.
Do this in the Recommendations tab included in the Independence Medical Center’s Core Data Sets
[XLSX] spreadsheet.
In the first column under “Data Element” list the column headers in which you found the data
errors.
In the second column under “Definition” provide the definition of the Data Element.
In the third column under “Format” provide the type, number, and arrangement of characters
for the Data Element.
In the last column under “Source System,” identify the system in which the data element would
be located.
Your final data dictionary (Recommendations tab) should contain at least 10 row entries.
PART 2: DATA DISCOVERY REPORT
Write a 4–5 page data discovery report that identifies potential issues related to enterprise information management
and data integration based on all of the following:
Your review of your proposed framework for a DMGP for Independence Medical Center from the previous
assessment.
Your research on the characteristics of clean data.
Your analysis of Independence Medical Center’s core data sets.
Your boss has asked you to include all of the following headings in your data discovery report and to answer all of
the questions underneath each heading:
Best Practices for Clean Data When Using Multiple Sources (1/2 page).
What are the best practices for maintaining clean data when using multiple sources?
Include multiple examples and references to current, scholarly, and/or authoritative sources.
Explain how best practices for cleaning data can applied to Independence Medical Center.
Data Quality Issues When Using Multiple Sources (1 page).
What data quality issues in general do organizations face when using multiple sources?
Include multiple examples and references to current, scholarly, and/or authoritative sources.
What specific data quality issues appear in Independence Medical Center’s core data sets?
Data Formatting Issues Related to Integration When Using and Storing Data From Multiple Sources (1
page).
What data formatting issues related to integration in general do organizations encounter when using
and storing data from multiple sources?
Include multiple examples and references to current, scholarly, and/or authoritative sources.
What specific data formatting issues appear in Independence Medical Center’s core data sets?
Recommendations for Data Sources, Systems, and Core Data Set Items (1 page).
What are your top 3–5 recommendations for Independence Medical Center’s data sources, systems,
and items to be included in its core data set?
Be sure to include the rationale behind your recommendations.
Include multiple examples and references to current, scholarly, and/or authoritative sources.
Conclusion (1 to 2 paragraphs).
What are the 3–5 key pieces of information you want your CIO to remember from your data discovery
report?
Note: You know that the CIO has a reputation for asking a lot of questions about how someone came to his or her
conclusions. Be sure to include references to current, scholarly, and/or authoritative sources throughout your data
discovery report.
Additional Requirements
Length: Data Discovery Report (4–5 double-spaced pages) and the Excel spreadsheet.
Font and font size: Times Roman, 12-point type.
APA: Follow APA style and formatting guidelines for citations and references. Include a separate References
page.
Writing: Create a clear, well-organized, professional document that is generally free of errors in grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies
through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Use various strategies to maintain clean data from multiple sources.
Describe data quality issues when using multiple sources.
Competency 3: Analyze the impacts of data warehousing.
Explain data formatting issues when using and storing data from multiple sources.
Competency 4: Analyze effects of database design and architecture in integrating and using various data
sources.
Create a spreadsheet describing data elements and formats supporting enterprise information
management and data integration.
Competency 5: Communicate professionally in a health care environment.
Create clear, well-organized, professional documents that are generally free of errors in grammar,
punctuation, and spelling.
Follow APA formatting and style guidelines for citations and references.